Free Freefall by Mindi Scott Page A

totally hideous.”
    When I glanced up, I saw that Vicki Lancaster and Riley were heading my way and carrying their own stacks of magazines.
    “You don’t look hideous,” Riley said, taking a seat on the couch across from mine.
    Vicki plopped down beside her. “I think I’ll cut it all off.” She slouched and pouted like she was having the worst day of her life. “Or I’ll dye it black. I don’t know. I hate it.”
    Then they both seemed to notice me at the same time.Riley smiled; Vicki scowled and stood up. “Let’s sit somewhere else.”
    Riley grabbed Vicki’s arm and pulled her back down. “No, this is fine.”
    She was still smiling at me, but now she looked kind of embarrassed. I couldn’t guess what she was up to. We’d decided not give each other shit in class, but we’d never said anything about extending our peace agreement to bookstore couches with Vicki. I still wasn’t over that thing she’d said about Isaac at Pete’s party; I’d never get over it.
    I gave Riley a nod and focused on the
Bass Player
magazine I was holding. It seemed as good a time as any to turn past page four. I had more important things on my mind than Vicki’s hair. Like how exactly I was going to get out of this tour.
    “I didn’t know that stoner knew how to read,” Vicki stage-whispered. “Or is he only looking at the pictures?”
    I didn’t give her the satisfaction of glancing up.
    “
We
should be looking at pictures,” Riley said. “Your appointment is in less than thirty minutes, so let’s see if we can find a cut you like. How short do you want to go?”
    “I don’t know. Like, my shoulders? Or chin? Or somewhere in between?”
    I kept my eyes on my own magazine and tried to pretend the girls weren’t there. It wasn’t easy; Vicki’s voice could carry across the entire town. Plus, I could feel Riley watching me.
    So the band tour. Everyone was stoked about it, talking like it was a done deal. It was obvious that Jared expected me to drop out of school like him and Daniel. And while that wasn’t an idea Mom had been thrilled about, she didn’t seem to think it was the end of the world, either. I wasn’t going to do it, though. And I couldn’t just take off and miss a month and a half of classes; that would set me back so far I’d never catch up, never graduate.
    A booming voice pulled me out of my thoughts again. “There you are! I thought I saw you come up here.”
    Riley and Vicki turned their heads toward Carr Goodwin, who was now behind their couch.
    “Hi, Rosetta,” Carr said, grinning down at Riley.
    I was confused about why he’d called her that, but then I realized it must be her real name—the one she’d said had come from a romance novel.
Rosetta.
It wasn’t prissy-sounding like she’d made it out to be. I thought it was pretty. Like her.
    Vicki smacked Carr with her magazine. “Now you’re supposed to say, ‘Hi,
Vicki.
’”
    Carr laughed, and I could have sworn he was trying to be an American James Bond or something. Such a phony fuck. “Hi, Vicki. And what are you lovely ladies up to today?”
    He hadn’t looked at me once—I wasn’t looking straight at him, either—but I knew he’d seen me. I also knew that neither of us would say or do anything if the other didn’t start something first. Sober, we’re both pretty low-key.I mean, a musician and a school politician. Could we be
any
less badass?
    Still standing, Carr massaged Rosetta’s shoulders all casual, like he was just being his friendly vice-president self. I had a hunch, though, that he was seriously perving on her. Rosetta wriggled out of Carr’s grasp like she got that same feeling. “Vicki’s getting her hair cut in a few minutes,” she said, holding out a magazine. “You want to help us decide on a style?”
    “Sure!” He said it like he’d been waiting all year for this, walked around the couch, and squished in next to Rosetta. Then, grabbing a small section of her hair, he twisted it around his